"We hope that the students will reflect on this rite of passage with reverence and dedication as well as with the pride that they justifiably have in themselves and we have in them as the new cohorts among our professional ranks.”

-- Sharon P. Turner,
dean,
UK College of Dentistry

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2004) --The White Coat Ceremony marks the beginning of a commitment to long-term learning, ideals, responsibility and success for the 54 members of the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry’s Class of 2008.

During the ceremony held at UK Memorial Hall, first-year students received white coats that represent their entry into the dental profession.

“White has long been symbolic of purity and thus associated with noble causes and generic good,” said Sharon P. Turner, dean, UK College of Dentistry. “Similarly, the traditional doctor’s outer garment, whether the doctor is a physician or a dentist, is the symbol of a caring profession. We hope that the students will reflect on this rite of passage with reverence and dedication as well as with the pride that they justifiably have in themselves and we have in them as the new cohorts among our professional ranks.”

The College of Dentistry Alumni Association and the American College of Dentistry co-sponsored the annual ceremony, which is designed to encourage humanism in dentistry. The speakers at the event included Dr. Karl Lange, representative of the American College of Dentists, and Dr. John Clements, representative of the UK College of Dentistry Alumni Association.

Dental faculty welcomed students to the dental profession as colleagues and challenged them to make a commitment to gain the knowledge and compassion necessary to become outstanding dentists.